PDA

View Full Version : Pros and Cons of Rugby 2005 on PC


Rogue
19-03-2005, 06:43 AM
Ok i bought the game Rugby2005 for PC yesterday. It absolutely poos on EA Rugby 2004 from a distance so high the waste burns up on re-entry to the atmosphere :D . After a good solid ten odd hours of gaming ive come up with a list of noticeable pros and cons (IMO) that i feel the developers of rugby league2 could learn from and or improve on (or ignore altogether) to make the rugby league game that much better such as the sport is by leaps and bounds......

Pros:
Goal Kicking , it is great! a power bar that measures power and then accuracy along with the unpredictability of wind is fantastic.

Player Likeness , is right up there with FIFA2005 the crazy focused eyes of george gregan mad me feel unsettled, the facial expressions of players such as moving foreheads when they look mean etc is a fantastic feature of the game.

Replays , detailed replays with a zoom option so you can do a close up on that big hit when it happens enhance the enjoyment (well mine anyway)

Team Jerseys , they look great i know its not a huge deal to most but once you see how good a team jersey can look you can appreciate it. also the mud that collects on the jersey in a wet weather game is great its so realistic that in a euro game you can get to the last ten mins of a game and not know who has just scored cos his shirt is so caked with mud his number is obscured!!

Cons:
Right Stick ignored on PC, heres a quote from the game developer that inspired me to buy the game :
"EA: Tell us about some of the new strategies and tactics in the game. Will players be able to set plays on the fly, make side-steps, jukes and other fakes?

AW: As noted before, we do have set plays on the fly, which are a huge improvement and help the user maintain momentum throughout game-play. Another great addition to the controls of Rugby 2005 is the use of the right stick for side-steps, dukes and hand-offs/stiff arms. With a ‘quick flick’ of the right stick in the appropriate direction, the in-game players will be side-stepping and stiff arming like the champions they are."

even with the "recommended" Logitech Dual action USB gamepad the rightstick is completely useless!!! EA games like fifa 2005 utilise the right stick just like the PS2 version yet it is ignored on the PC version!! instead i have to use the L2(sic) button as a shift button along with other buttons to execute side steps, hand-offs and shoulder charges and to make matters worse you can't change the control configuration!!! otherwise the controls are pretty standard and handy L1 and R1 to pass etc etc

No Online Play , i knew this was not a feature before i bought it but it still is a huge con in my book.

Cant use game pad to Navigate the Menus , so tedious to have to keep putting the gamepad down then get out my mouse just to navigate menus!! to pause the game you have to press escape on the keyboard which i find very annoying when using a gamepad and the mouse cursor is soooo slow when in tournaments and the computer generates games you find yourself moving a slow cursor up and down the screen for long periods of time while waiting for your team game to come up.

Replays are not Recordable , nor are the replays available with an iso-metric free cam like the very first ever rugby installment did. the replays are good and so are the big hits you can put on in the game are great but without a recordable function how am i going to be able to show my fellow rugby gamers the awesome plays/tackles/kicks/fends/grubbers etc etc i made to inspire them to purchase the game and try it for themselves? (and in turn generate more revenue through sales for the developers)

this is my thoughts on the PC version of rugby2005 if anyone bought it for xbox or ps2 id be keen to hear feedback about those releases too and not just ppl flaming me cos league is better than union etc etc we all know that already anyway or else we wouldnt be posting here :D

knowsleyroader
19-03-2005, 06:53 AM
Rugby 2005 is a very, very good game and a massive improvement on Rugby 2004. So much so that it has probably shocked many people including companies developing potential rival products.

If rugby league can manage a similar feel during play and match it for presentation then they will have a very successful title on their hands. Rugby League does have some competition this time around and Rugby 2005 will take some beating.

All good for us Rugby fans as far as I can see.

rumplespliffskin
19-03-2005, 07:06 AM
thats very informative for sidhe. rugby 2001 was a great game and got me by for years while waiting for rugby league. 2004 was wrecked by hb studios. good to see a two sided report of the game, not bagging league or union.

inertia
19-03-2005, 10:41 AM
i still can't pull of drop goals from outside the 10m line. there's just no distance on it.

can't seem trigger the on the fly set pieces either.

Bulldog Blood
19-03-2005, 04:18 PM
i wanna get it but i think im going 2 hire it first.
does any1 know if it is at shops like video ezy yet?

mool0o
24-03-2005, 03:28 AM
I've had the game for about 2 weeks now, and I'm still reserving my judgement. It is a huge improvement on last years, but again it feels as though it has been rushed to the market place with some pretty critical errors. The general gameplay is pretty good except for passing and kicking - which, i think you will agree are pretty important parts of the game.

It has a good feel about it, but jus still has the HB Studios edge to it.

I suppose we can now hope and pray that they fine tune it for a 2006 release. i don't think they're far off 'getting it right'. Has taken a while though!

Hopefully we will see a patch out that will address some of these smaller issues - including the non-ability to use the control pad to navigate menus. Although this was the same for Cricket 2004 and they never did a thing about it. I'm not holding my breath.

mool0o
24-03-2005, 03:29 AM
Right Stick ignored on PC, heres a quote from the game developer that inspired me to buy the game :
[I]"EA: Tell us about some of the new strategies and tactics in the game. Will players be able to set plays on the fly, make side-steps, jukes and other fakes?


THis was a huge dissapointment - i was looking forward to using the right stick for these plays, using the L1 + other button is a real pain in the - too much to think about in my book!